Saturday, August 31, 2013

As much as I love to sip the champagne at the Moet & Chandon bar, I
have to give credit to the Heineken people for their innovative spaces at the US Open this year.

It’s actually been 22 years since Heineken began their
sponsorship of the tournament. While at first it meant the supply of the Dutch
brew chilled at all the stands, it expanded to the original Red Star, a bar
located near the President’s Gate.

Last year, this “bar” turned into a two story building, the
top of which housed the new Red Star Café, a full service restaurant and bar. This
year they have gone one step further, creating an entire village on top of the
food court.

I took a walk through Heineken House and I was impressed.
Not only is it a great place to relax away from the crowds, you’ll find a
selection of food and drinks, as well as games and televisions showing live
action of the Open. All of this with incredible views of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Tyler Kord, chef/owner of No. 7 Sub, paired a menu of light
fare to go with Heineken and Heineken Light, including the popular Broccoli
Cuban.

If you don’t want to spend all your time relaxing on the swings,
sitting back on the couches, eating and/or drinking (and I’m not sure who
wouldn’t), you can try your hand at a round of “cornhole” or get your picture
taken at the photo book. There’s also a “Pro Shop” where you can purchase
Heineken merchandise.

I made it up to the village in time for yesterday’s “Heineken
Perfect Pour” competition. There was a pretty good crowd there trying their
luck at the perfect pour, judged by local bartenders (the competition will
continue at 2:00 pm everyday through September 5th.

If you can’t make it to Heineken House at the US Open this
year, you can (presuming you are over 21 years of age) participate in the “Crack
the US Open” photo hunt on Instagram for a chance to win tickets to the Men’s
Final next week. Beginning September 3rd,
visit @Crack_the_US_Open on Instagram, flip your phone and scroll through a
panoramic view of a stadium to begin the hunt.